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'Costa is good at that...'

Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea

Arsenal

Posted at18:36

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "The referee was very quick to take the red card out. We coped with the decision well and should have had a draw at least. We had the chances to get a draw. Mentally we were focused. Sometimes when you lose you can still say 'well done' to the players.

On the red card: "I can't influence the decision of the referee. I thought it was harsh and we had to cope with it. I don't know what to say. It is a few games now that has happened. All we can do is keep our focus and fight. Yes [on Costa making the most of the situation] That is the game of the striker. Diego Costa is good at that.

[On taking off Olivier Giroud] "The fact is we needed to get strength on the counter-attack and needed pace. That is why I made the decision.

"It is not a coincidence that after 23 games Leicester are still there. But there is a long way to go. What we take from today is that we are disappointed but have a lot of positives from our attitude and spirit."

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'We needed luck'

Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea

Posted at18:2524 Jan

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Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech: "It is disappointing to have lost the game. That was a major decision at the start of the game and gave the advantage to Chelsea. For 60 minutes, we were the better team and showed great character, we just needed a bit of luck to find the net.

"The referee made the decision to give the red card and he had a clear view, if there was contact then it was the correct decision because Per Mertesacker was the last man.

"They could sit back and control the game, we had to sit deeper and wait for our opportunities, in the second half we were more aggressive and I thought we did well. We had some half chances and some moment where we were close but could not find the equaliser."

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Arsenal's mentality is the worry

Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea

Ian Wright

Former Arsenal striker on 606

Posted at18:2424 Jan

"Arsenal are three points behind, but it's the mentality that the team have at he moment, that is the worry. They have to realise there is plenty to play for, it is not over and they have to string some games together."

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'The red card makes it easier'

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink: "Today the boys did their job very well. We tried to play as much as possible to stop them playing.

"You can react when a team loses a player by bringing on a striker but this Arsenal team are strong and they can outplay you even with 10. It was important to keep structure in the team.

"We had some very good attacks before the red card, Willian had a couple of good opportunities. The red card makes it a bit easier but Arsenal can play well with a man down.

"I like the team playing how they did today, regardless of the gap between here and fourth place. We still have two cups at stake. We were unbeaten in seven before this but it was not satisfying because a lot were draws. I hope we have made the first step to being unbeaten with pride."

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Per v Messi?

Disappointing result but on a positive note; surely that is all the proof Wenger needs to not play Mertesacker against Barcelona for obvious reasons...hopefully.

Vince in London

Typical Wenger, signs a powerful midfielder and doesn't play him, we needed Elneny's strong tackling against Chelsea today. All credit to Chelsea for making Arsenal look average yet again as usual. When will Wenger learn to tactically beat them even without Mourinho?

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'A big win!'

Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea

Posted at18:15

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Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic: "It is a big win. We are in a bad position and every point is important. It is always hard playing Arsenal in this stadium but I think we deserved to win. I am sure, until the end of the season, that we are still a big team and we can win something. This win will give us more confidence for the future.

"When you have 1-0 in the last five or six minutes you want to keep that. When we sat back a bit they had some crosses. They had some chances but we deserved to win. Today was the real Chelsea."

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'We were on top'

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas on Sky Sports: "When it was 11 v11 we were on top. They had a chance with Mathieu Flamini before half-time but for the first 20-25 mins we were very good.

"I am nearly there. I am feeling sharp and my brain is quicker than the last few months. I feel under pressure but I am in more control. My team-mates make it easier for me. In the last year this is the best moment for me."